The primary goal of this investigation is to obtain information about children growing up in stepparent families. While our knowledge about the effects of divorce on children has increased, little is known about what happens to these children when they enter a stepfamily. Multimethod studies that focus on both the social developmental of the child and family interaction in stepparent families are non-existent. In the proposed investigation the objectives are to compare the social development and family interaction patterns of children in (a) stepparent and intact families; (b) step-father and divorced mother custody families; (c) stepmother and divorced father custody families; (d) stepfather and stepmother families. Data already have been collected from 60 children in father custody, mother custody, and intact family arrangements. Combined with the data to be collected in the proposed investigation, a total of 144 families will be studied, including 24 children from stepmother and 24 children from stepfather families. Parents and children will be observed interacting in laboratory situations. Structured interviews and self-report scales will be given to parents and children, and teacher ratings of the child's behavior at school will be obtained. Based on the stepparent and divorce literature, a number of specific hypotheses were made. In particular, it is anticipated that girls in stepfather families will show less competent social development and their interaction with their mother will not be as positive as for girls in mother custody single parent families. Similarly, it is predicted that boys in stepmother families will be less well adjusted and interact loss positively with their fathers than boys in father custody single parent families. In comparisons of stepmother and stepfather families it is anticipated that the child's relationship with the stepmother will be less positive than with the stepfather. Also, boys in stepfather and girls in stepmother familes will show more socially competent behavior than girls in stepfather and boys in stepmother families. In all comparisons of children in stepparent, single parent, and intact families, it is expected that the effects of family structure on the child's social development will be mediated by the quality of parenting and marital relationship within the family.